Automotive antenna equipment



Jan- 30, 1940 R. M. DAUGHERTY |=:r Al. 2,188,427

AUTOMOTIVE ANTENNA EQUIPMENT Filed July 18, 1938 l N VEN TORS. facu- MAUG/fffrr ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES AUTOMOTIVE ANTENNA EQUIPMENT RogerM. Daugherty, Cincinnati, v0hio,. and. William H. Myers, Detroit, Mich.,assignors tor The Crosley Corporatiom Cincinnati, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application July 18, 1938, Serial No. 219,690

9 claims. (C1. 25o-s3) Our invention relates toantennae for automobileradiosl and the like, and in particular to antennae of the Whip typewhich in use project above the'body of the car.

or so called turret tops in motor vehicles has brought about the useeither of under-car antennae which have certain disadvantages, or: theWhip type antennae which also have certain disadvantages, thoughproviding a better pick-up andv less noise under many conditions ofoperation. There are obvious diiiiculties with whiptype antennae fromthe standpoint of appearance, clearance, and maintenance; and many ofthem are so placed as to be distinctly in the way. 1 5, The fundamentalobjects of our invention are the elimination of the formerdiiculties anddisadvantages 4of the whip-type antenna. Ancillary objects are theprovision of an antenna structure which, While highly eicient', isself-contained, adjustable as to height, operable'from within thevehicle, is attractive in appearance, and forms an integral part of thevehicle. Other objects will be pointed out hereinafter or will be'apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specications; andthese objects we accomplish by that certain construction and arrangementof parts of which we will now set forth an exemplary embodiment.

Reference is made to the drawinggwherein: 30V Fig. l is a perspectiveView of a front upper portion of a vehicle with our ldevice forming apartv thereof. n

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the antenna device andadjacent portions of the vehicle, taken along the lines 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3.is a transverse section of the devicetaken along the lines 3-3 ofFig. 2.

In the practice of our "invention, we mount an antenna structure ofadjustable character onor 40, as apart of the windshield in a motorvehicle. In many motor vehicles the. windshield is divided into twoparts which lie at an angle to each other, and intermediate these partsis a rib forming part of the car body to which the twoA portions ofglass are attached. Our invention is not 1im. ited in this respect sinceit is clearly applicable to vehicles having a windshield all portions ofwhich lie in the same plane. Such windshields may be divided, and thedevice of our invention mounted 5 f thereon es indicated. A150, es winhereinafter be set forth, modications may be made in our invention toadapt it to different types of motor vehicles. 5 In the particularembodiment which we shall describe, the antenna structure forms a' ribat the adjacent edgesof panes of glass which form the windshield ofthe-vehicle.l The antenna comprises a rod which'is 'slidably mounted inthe bar or division member, which is preferably operable The use of allmetal 4 from within the vehicle, and which Ican be raised or lowered asrequired. y,

In l'we have indicated the upper front portion'of a motor vehiclecomprising a windshield in two parts; 4 and 5, mounted, as usual,

inthe front portion of a vehicle having a turret.

top 'l anda hood 8. As division means between the glass "members il and5, we provide a member 9 which inl external appearance is not unlike theordinary rib forming the division means down the center of a windshield.

The construction of the member 9=andits component parts is illustratedin Figs. 2 and 3. `The member 9 is a member of normal shape, suitablefor the structural use to which it is put in the automobile; Ordinaril7it will be thicker at the top than at the bottom "in' order to clear theturret Land for decorative reasons. The exact shape vofthe member is nota limitation upon our invention. The member'in the embodimentillustrated is of metal, and it is grooved centrallyv as at l0. Atthe'top itis preferably carried beyond the line ofthe glass and isprovided witha threadednippleinto which a perforated plug I2 may bethreaded. The bore in the nipple is carried below the plugv as'at I3 toprovidespace for a packing idg-*and therebeyondit is perforated as at|15 to provide easy passage for a rod- IlA which is the whip oftheantenna. The construction thus fardescribed as comprising 'elements Ilrto vI5 inclusive, forms a gland through which the rod Il may movelongitudinally but which prevents theingressI of-water. 'A jAt'thebottom of the groove Ill, We may provide a shallowergroovef I8y toaccept the rod Il and to guide `it in its movements.

The memberl 9, as has been indicated, forms a rnullionfor the glasses ofthe windshield. These glasses 4 and 5 maybe providedwith bushings ofrubber or other suitable material indicated at i9. A plate 2lllcompletesthe mullion structure. Thel plate isA held at intervals to the member 9by bolts 2l, passing between the glasses d and 5.

The plate 2'1` is slottedv centrally, as indicated at 22, tovprovide apassage for an operating member. The -end of the rod |13 is bent over asat Ila, and-is lprovided with a washer 23. A tubular sleeve member24-i's slipped over the end Illa of the rod. 'Ihis member is providedwith a flange or washer 25, and a coiled spring Zt'engages between thewasher 23 on the rod and the Washer or flange 25 on the sleeve.The'coiled-spring acts to keepv the washer or flange 25 pressed tightlyagainst the plate- 2li* The end of the lsleeveZll which projects throughthe plate 2i! may be provided with an operatingfhandle 2l.

At the tcp fand bottom of the windshield where the' membery 9 wouldotherwise come `against the cowling 28, the instrument panel member; orthe turret top l of the vehicle, insulating material 29 and 30 isinterposed therebetween, so that the member 9 is out of electricalcontact with `the metal parts of the vehicle. Anf-aerial lead 3| fromthe radio set (not shown) may be attached directly to the member 9, asat 32. The member` 9 and the rod I1 act together as an antenna for theradio set. The rod maybetop'ped with'an ornamental ball 33 or otherornament,.if desired..

For use on the open road the .rod l1 may be run upwardly by elevatingthe operating handle 2l, as will be clear, the construction includingthe Yspring 26 compensating ,for the varying thickness of the member 9.'I'he rod l1 will normally be of such length that when it isdrawn downas far as possible, there willstill be some safe projection above thetop of the Vehicle. When the operating handle 21 is in its uppermostposition, the eiective height of the rod`will be increased by a lengthsubstantially equivalent to the depth of the windshield.

It will be clear that modiiications may be made in our invention withoutdeparting from the spirit of it. For example, the member 9 may be madeof insulating substance in which event it can be bolted or otherwiseattached to the turret top the Cowling 28 and/or the instrument panelmember 34. When this is done the antenna lead 3l may be attached to theplate 20, which plate will be carefully insulated from metallic parts ofthe vehicle. Also where operation from within the vehicle can bedispensed with, and in particular where the windshield is imperforateand unitary, a slight modification of our device may be made so that itcan be operated from outside the vehicle, and so that it can `beattached to the glass of the windshield.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: 1. As an antenna structurefor an automotivevehicle, a mullion for a windshield electrically insulated from metallicparts of said vehicle, an antenna rod slidable in said mullion, andmeans operable from within the vehicle for sliding said antenna rod.

2. As an antenna member `for an automotive vehicle, a mullion for awindshield, a rod slidably mounted in said mullion, means within theVehicle for attaching said mullion to the windshield in electricallyinsulative relation to metallic parts of said vehicle, and operatingmeans for said rod extending through said last mentioned means.

3. As an antenna structure for an automotive vehicle, a metallic mullionfor a windshield, a rod slidable in said mullion, means for mountingsaid mullion on a windshield and out of electrical contact with metallicmembers of said vehicle, and means for making connection with an antennalead from a radio set to said mullion.

4. As an automotive antenna, a metal member having a groove in one sidethereof and perforated at one end, a rod sliding in said perforation,the lower end of said rod being bent at an angle, a second metallicmember connected to the first, said second member being slotted, anoperating handle, means extending through said slot, said handle meanshaving a sleeve portion engaging the bent-over portion of said rod, anda coil spring surrounding the bent-over portion of said rod and saidlsleeve portion, for forcing lrespectively said rod against said firstmentioned member and said operating means against said second metallicmember.

side, connection means between said mullion and said plate, said mullionhaving a groove therein, anda rod slidable in said groove and extendingabove said mullion.

6. Incombination in an automotive vehicle, a

windshield in two parts, a mullion member for said windshield coveringthe adjacent edges of said parts and lying against said windshield onone side, said mullion being electrically insulated from metallic partsof said vehicle, a slotted plate lying against said windshield on theopposite side, connection means between said mullion and said plate,said mullionI having a groove through which said rod is longitudinallyslidable.

7. In combination in an automotive vehicle, a windshield in two parts, amullion member for said windshield covering the adjacent edges of saidparts and lying against said windshield on one side, said mullion beingelectrically insulated from metallic parts of said vehicle, a slottedplate lying against said windshield on theopposite side, connectionmeans between said mullion and said plate, said mullion having agroove'therein, a rod slidable in said groove and extending through saidmullion,` said mullion having a gland through which saidrod islongitudinally slidable, an operating member slidable in said plate anda connection between said operating member and said rod. 8. Incombination in an automotive vehicle a windshield in two parts, amullion member for said windshield'covering the "adjacent edges of saidparts and lying against said windshield on one side, said mullion beingelectrically insulated iiom metallic parts of said vehicle, a slottedplate lying against said windshield on the opposite side, connectionmeans between said mullion and said plate, said mullion having a groovetherein, a rod slidable in said groove and extending through saidmullion, said mullion having a -gland through which said rod islongitudinally slidable, an operating member slidable in said plate anda connection between said operatingmember and said rod, said operatingconnection comprising a bent-over portion of said rod, a sleeve portionof said operating member surrounding said bent-over portion of said rod,abutment means on said rod and said operating member, said lastmentioned abutment means engaging said plate, and a compression springlocated between said abutment means.

9. In an automotive antenna device, a windshield mullion of generallytriangular shape, said mullion having a central slot and beingperforated at the top, said mullion being electrically insulated frommetallic parts of said vehicle, a rod forming a Whip antenna slidablymounted in said perforation and in said slot, a plate, means forattaching said plate to said rst mentioned member, operating meansslidably mounted in a slot in said plate, a connection between s aid rodand said operating means, and means for making electrical contact toVsaid rod through at least one of the aforementioned elements.

ROGER M. DAUGHERTY. WILLIAM H. MYERS.

